Sanela Kevric, head of sales Benelux, Fidelity International. Photo: Fidelity International

Sanela Kevric, head of sales Benelux, Fidelity International. Photo: Fidelity International

Wealthier individuals are increasingly gaining access to private market funds, historically the preserve of institutional investors like pension funds, through digital platforms or traditional asset managers. Delano asked Sanela Kevric at Fidelity International, which has more than $600bn in assets under management globally, why the segment is important for a fund firm’s business.

One of the hottest digital platforms for retail investors to access private market funds right now is Moonfare. Its clients can make a minimum investment of €50,000, compared to the usual Luxembourg minimum of €125,000. Moonfare’s assets under management jumped from €1bn in September 2021 to €2.1bn in June 2022.

Fidelity International, one of the world’s biggest fund firms, struck an exclusive distribution partnership in several markets that involved taking “a minority stake in Moonfare” last year, according to Sanela Kevric, head of sales Benelux at Fidelity International, based in Kirchberg. (Terms of the deal were not disclosed.)

For Fidelity, “it’s a natural evolution of the business, it’s bringing an additional tool and additional asset class that we can provide our clients with.” While Moonfare has a robust screening process to narrow down the PE funds offered on its platform, Kevric said that Fidelity brings “a fresh pair of eyes on those opportunities.” In other words, it provides a layer of information that is perhaps more digestible for many retail investors.